Brazilian football has Haitians euphoric at last

From an article by By Alice Speri (AFP) – 9 hours ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Walking the streets of Port-au-Prince these days you may think you are in Brazil as Haitians starved of joy and excitement since January's devastating earthquake are caught up in World Cup fever.

Green and yellow flags line the streets, while children and adults alike sport Kaka jerseys and even the ubiquitous graffiti against President Rene Preval and MINUSTAH has for once been supplanted by freshly painted signs in support of the World Cup's most storied team.

Argentina is Haiti's second favorite outfit, but the bitter rivalry between the two South American teams does not transfer over to their euphoric fans here who seem united like never before.

"This is just a huge party for everyone," said Teddy Maindre, an Argentina fan who nonetheless waited impatiently for Brazil's first game on Tuesday against the footballing minnows from the hermit state of North Korea.

The atmosphere everywhere resembled that of a final, with huge speakers blasting the cup's soundtracks, girls in green and yellow makeup and nails, and young boys wrapped in flags improvising acrobatics on their motorcycles. The World Cup, which kicked off Friday in South Africa, comes just five months after Haiti was left shattered by a massive earthquake that killed up to 300,000 people and flattened the capital Port-au-Prince.

Port-au-Prince's main stadium, which became a refugee camp in the aftermath of the quake, now welcomes people with a few cents in their pockets to watch the games on giant screens.

Francois Mackenson, the young founder of a local Brazil fan club, has set up a flat screen in the shell of a collapsed building in Delmas 57, one of the devastated capital's many sprawling slums.

"This year we didn't get to have a carnival because of the earthquake," Mackenson lamented. But he told AFP that Brazil's "inevitable" victory would make up for that. "It's giving us the strength to start again," he said.

During the game there is some daylight in the perpetual traffic jam that is Port-au-Prince as Haitians of all ages glue themselves to TV sets and radios in refugee camps and street-side businesses.

Even some of the policemen brought in to beef up security on the streets confess that Brazil is their team.

"Because it's the best team of course," explained Peguito Merisier, one young officer who said he would have to watch the fans not the game to make sure the excitement didn't translate into drink-fueled trouble.

"Haitians go crazy for football, they forgot the earthquake already," said Merisier, pointing to people dancing and waving flags among the rubble.

"All that's on their minds now is Brazil and Argentina. But when the cup is over it will be politics."

For 1.5 million people still displaced by the earthquake and struggling to eke out an existence, the earthquake is hardly forgotten but it may provide a chance to try and move on.